How do you tell?
by Snow Tigra
Summary: Chouji sets out to find out how he can tell if someone likes him... and how he can tell that person he likes him back. WAFF. ShikaChou


Title: How do you tell?  
Author: Snow Tigra  
Fandom: Naruto  
Pairing: Shikamaru and Chouji  
Warnings: None. It's just a pure WAFF oneshot. 

Ino looked up from the desk at her parent's flower shop as the bell on the door rang. She smiled when she saw Chouji step into the store and wander up toward the front.

"Umm…. Ino, I have something I wanted to… ask you…" Chouji's cheeks had a slight blush to them and he was shifting from foot to foot, his eyes scanning everything in the room except for Ino, avoiding her. He was obviously nervous about something and was being, Ino had to admit, incredibly cute about it.

She leaned forward against the counter and smiled. "Sure Chouji, go right ahead."

"Umm… well…" His hands moved to play with the end of his scarf. "How do you tell if a person… well… l-likes you?"

Ino blinked at that. "Someone likes you?" She didn't mean it to sound like that, but it took a second for her mind to wrap around someone liking the sweet pudgy boy in front of her. Chouji was loveable and sweet and on occasion certainly kicked ass, but imagining him with another person, or even that close to someone hurt Ino's brain. Chouji was just one of those people who you never expected to see paired up… kind of like Neiji, though for completely different reasons.

Chouji just shifted from foot to foot, nervously waiting.

"I'm not really sure. You just kind of… know. They stick around you and look at you a lot… and of course you have to like them back. That's a requirement. Oh, and they should be hot and moody… and brooding…" Ino's voice trailed off as she focused on a vase of dark flowers in the corner. She didn't even notice Chouji stop shifting as she rambled off comments about someone who had to be Sasuke.

Chouji listened for a few more minutes, then finally sighed softly. Quietly he slipped out of the flower shop, letting himself out so she could be by herself with her thoughts of Sasuke.

Chouji frowned up at Asuma-sensai's house. He could hear people talking inside and was reasonably sure that Kurenai or some such woman was visiting. Asuma made a pretty good habit of inviting women over for nights after training sessions, but never really publicized it around the village. He was certainly one who would know how to answer Chouji's question… but then he was also probably smart enough to figure out who Chouji was actually asking about.

Chouji winced at that thought.

A glance at Asuma's door again, then Chouji quickly shook his head and took off down the street. It wasn't worth the risk. He'd just have to ask someone else.

"How do you tell if someone likes you?" Kiba lifted an eyebrow and frowned, chewing a bit on his lower lip in thought, then he shrugged and tossed a piece of beef jerky to Akamaru, who caught it in the air and settled down to munch happily. "Human or animal?"

Chouji blinked. Well, no he meant a person. But then he supposed he shouldn't be surprised that Kiba would automatically think of an animal. Ino did always say that Kiba was married to his dog…

"Cuz if it's an animal, it's really easy. Basically they sniff you. If they like you they stick around, if they don't, well then, they don't. Animals don't stick around unless they like someone."

Akamaru barked in agreement, then moved pounced into Kiba's lap to try and wrestle another piece of beef jerky from Kiba's hand. Kiba just laughed and soon became distracted with his little gave of doggy keep away.

"Umm… thanks," Chouji murmured, then turned and left them alone.

Maybe that could be applied to humans. People don't stick around unless they like people right?

He wasn't really sure.

Chouji found Sasuke sitting on a rock behind his house, near the entrance to the part of the village which used to belong to the Uchiha clan. He'd thought about it a long time and Sasuke just seemed like the perfect person to ask. After all, wasn't he with Naruto? Didn't the two of them sneak off at night to be with each other while no one else was looking? He was sure he'd seen them sneak off more then a few times when he'd been watching clouds with Shikamaru up on the roof of one of the buildings. Kissing in corners and making out in shadows when no one could see. So Sasuke had to be the right person to ask.

Still, one look at him up close and Chouji backtracked. Sasuke was currently in one of his 'kill' modes, glaring off into the distance at the deserted area of the village.

Chouji considered it for a second, then decided that Sasuke was not the person to ask. He didn't look like he wanted to be disturbed. That and, Chouji wanted to know… but he wasn't willing to risk an Uchiha temper for a simple little question like that.

"Hinata?"

The silent girl jumped in surprise and spun around to face Chouji, her cheeks red from being startled… or maybe they were just red from the fact that someone was actually talking to her aside from a team mate. Chouji couldn't help but smile at her little mouse like ways and she returned the smile, relaxing.

"Good afternoon, Chouji," she greeted him politely.

"I wanted to ask you something. How do you, well, tell someone you like them?"

Hinata blinked and tilted her head at that one, considering for a moment. "Well you should just walk up to them and tell them, though that's really hard to do. I keep trying, but it's too hard for me to say. You could try leaving him something to let him know."

"Did that work with Naruto?"

Hinata blinked and suddenly her blush intensified. "N-Naruto-kun!" Her little voice squeaked and she sank back a bit, as if surprised that someone knew. For a moment Chouji debated telling her about Sasuke, but then decided it wasn't worth it. Besides, Hinata was one of those people who really wouldn't care; she just liked watching Naruto from a distance.

"Thanks Hinata." Chouji said with a smile, then turned to head off. Now he had a small idea.

Shikamaru felt a small smile crossing his lips as he lay back on the roof, completely relaxed. He could hear the busy Leaf Villagers below scurrying about their business, and the birds overhead making sounds as they searched for food and mates. The wind moves lightly through the trees and he swore, if he listened hard enough, he could hear the clouds floating through the sky. It was the perfect peaceful after noon with nothing at all troublesome to destroy the mood. Even the crunching of chips next to him and the crackling of a plastic bag seemed part of the environment, all of it making him smile.

Chouji had come to join him in watching the clouds just a little while ago and, as usual, was sitting next to him happily munching on his ever present chips. The bag was crackling more now, so he had to be almost finished with them.

"Hey, Shikamaru?"

"Hm?" Shikamaru answered softly without opening his eyes.

"Did you want a chip?"

"Oh. Sure."

He heard the plastic shift again as the bag was set down. Shikamaru stretched out, still not opening his eyes yet as he let out a small yawn, then he sat up and turned to look at Chouji finally opening his eyes.

He found himself alone on the roof.

"Chouji?" Shikamaru blinked, looking around the roof. Odd, he hadn't heard Chouji leave… and why would he leave his chips behind?

Shikamaru picked up the bag of chips and stepped toward the edge of the roof to look some more, when he stopped. Frowning softly he unrolled the top of the bag and peered in, surprised to find it so light. Hadn't Chouji asked him if he wanted some chips?

What he found in the bag was a single chip.

No, Chouji had asked him if he wanted a chip. And not just any chip… Chouji had left him the last chip.

The smile crossed Shikamaru's lips again, this time not caused by the clouds at all. He reached into the bag and pulled out the last chip, looking at it for a moment, then he popped it into his mouth to eat it.

Rolling up the bag he tossed it over into the garbage can and headed down the side of the building, still slowly eating the chip.

And Chouji was right. It was the best one.

The end


End file.
